Asheville Was Devastated by Hurricane Helene
NATURE OBSERVATION
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The city of Asheville and the surrounded Western North Carolina region were devastated by hurricane Helene.
We didn't see it coming. We weren't directly in Helene's path and at least since I've lived here, we typically aren't too badly affected by nearby hurricanes, so we weren't prepared for the destruction that we're dealing with today.
I've been without electricity since 6am on Friday morning and I lost water on Saturday morning. Our water system is so badly damaged that they think it could take weeks to repair. Thankfully there are homes and businesses in the region who still have water and power and they're all being very generous.
The city finally received potable water that was being trucked in yesterday. The emergency water supply that was stored is either inaccessible, or it was damaged in the flood. It's not clear from how they're reporting on it.
I'm in a really good place compared to most. I'm safe, Maggie's safe and our home is safe, and I'm prepared for emergencies such as this. I wasn't prepared for all of it though. It's pretty overwhelming.
So many people out there are so much worse off than I am, and my heart goes out to them. This is Tuesday morning when I'm recording this and I learned that they still have active search and rescue teams working around the clock, as some people are still trapped in their homes. I can't even imagine. I feel so lucky.
Please keep Western North Carolina in your hearts and prayers. See us getting the resources we need to find and rescue people, and keep everyone fed and watered. Send love to all of the people working continuously to rescue those who are missing, and also those who are repairing our damaged infrastructure — people from the area and all around the country and Canada are here helping us out. I'm so grateful to them.
For the last five days I've experienced nothing but kindness and generosity from everyone in my neighborhood, and I want it to stay that way. We just need everyone to receive the support they need. When needs are met, people are more likely to be peaceful, patient and respectful.
I started a page on my website dedicated to emergency preparation. Right now I only have a handful of items on there, but they are what's been keeping me going since Friday morning, and today's Tuesday. I'm going to continue adding to the page — other things I have and things I wish I had — and I plan on making a video on all of it once our situation here has stabilized.
Please learn from us and take this seriously. No one expected this, no one ever expects emergencies like this, but if everyone or most people are prepared, it keeps things from getting any worse.
The majority of modern day humans are all unfortunately 100% dependent upon a system that is very fragile. Our ancestors weren't like that. They all knew how to independently survive, and how to come together in community to meet each others needs. And I think we all need to bring that back.
Thank you for your love and support! I'll be adding a video of my whole experience and everything I've done to get through this, including making a composting toilet, installing a makeshift water catchment system and figuring out how to recycle and reuse grey water. I'm still in the process of working on that one, but now that I have consistent internet access, it'll make figuring these things out a whole lot easier.
Hi, I’m Kristen!
I envision a world where you and I rediscover what it is to be human, through connection with ourselves, each other and the natural world around us.